he President underscored that food security for the year 2008 at national level has been guaranteed as a result of the Government’s substantial investment and the coordinated endeavors made by the people and members of the Defense Force in diverse development activities. He further stressed the need for charting and implementing action programs towards ensuring sufficient and sustainable agricultural production, since it is difficult to predict the intensity of rainfall in 2008.

In order to guarantee sustainable production growth, both in terms of quality and quantity, President Isaias underlined the need for constructing additional micro and macro water reservoirs; developing irrigation systems; introducing advanced technology to mechanize agricultural activities; boosting the production of strategic crops and livestock; applying fertilizers to promote soil fertility; upgrading the storage, processing and marketing of agricultural produce; and ensuring a comprehensive national resource management so as to enhance the production of agricultural land in all corners of the country.

The President went on to say that once the expected harvest is collected at a national level, it should be directed towards ameliorating the existing shortages and stabilizing the market.

Noting that the promising harvest would only have a limited impact in national economic development, if it falls short of substituting the crops being imported by huge amounts of hard currency, he urged ways of effectively handling the harvest so that it makes due contribution in taking crop imports, particularly wheat. To this end, all administrations should draw up the necessary plans and effectively implement them. Even in the case of other crops, due attention should be given to the task of establishing agro-industrial plants and developing livestock, and fisheries, as well as fruits and vegetables, the President elaborated.

Stating that the control mechanisms the Government had introduced as regards to fuel consumption had borne a fruitful outcome, President Isaias underscored the need to apply similar devices in other domains as well, thus avoiding wastages. He further stressed the need to evaluate all types of production output from the stand point of its relevance and priority, particularly its impact on development goals so as to avoid wastage of foreign currency earnings.

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